THE WESTERN (WAILING) WALL "Hakotel Hama'aravi" is all that remains of the Jerusalem temple where Jesus taught and prayed. This wall formed part of the plaza upon which stood the
remodeled temple of Herod the Great. Herod's vast remodeling project began in 19 BC, and continued long after his
death. It was completed only 7 years before the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD. It acquired the name "Wailing Wall" because during the long exile
of the Jewish people from the city, they could return only once a year to mourn
the destruction of the Temple. When Israeli tanks rumbled into Jerusalem's Old
City in June of 1967, it was the first time, except for a brief period in 135
AD, that Jews controlled the site since 70 AD.

"I marvel that whereas the
ambitious dreams of myself, Caesar, and Alexander should have
vanished into thin air, a Judean peasant - Jesus should be able to
stretch his hands across the centuries and control the destinies of
men and nations." - Napoleon
I Bonaparte (1809)